Next steps to crack the code on tight Permian Toolachee and Patchawarra sandstones of the Cooper Basin, southwest Queensland
Raymond L. JohnsonA Unconventional Reservoir Solutions; The University of Adelaide.
B Real Energy Corporation Limited.
The APPEA Journal 56(2) 533-533 https://doi.org/10.1071/AJ15039
Published: 2016
Abstract
Historic wells drilled by Real Energy Corporation Limited (Real Energy) in the Windorah Trough (Cooper Basin, southwest Queensland) characterised the Toolachee and Patchawarra formations as being gas-charged, tight-gas, sandstone/lacustrine shale sequences having layers of coaly source rock with high total organic content and moderate hydrocarbon indices.
Consistent with being tight-gas reservoirs, drill stem tests have mostly either failed to produce gas or resulted in non-commercial flow rates. To date, North American methodologies for tight and shale gas extraction have not been consistently successful when applied in non-normal stress regimes outside of North America (i.e. Cooper Basin, China, Poland, Middle East, etc).
Real Energy anticipated that North American technologies and practices were not likely to be directly applicable, as noted by published case studies for Australian shale gas wells (Johnson and Greenstreet, 2003; Pitkin et al, 2012; Scott et al, 2013; Johnson et al, 2015). Thus, it became an imperative to evaluate any methodologies or technologies more applicable for the Australian strike-slip to transpressional stress regimes to prevent fracture misalignment or disorientation, effects that result in ineffective fracture stimulation.
Overall, a more scientific approach must be applied to developing and understanding the most efficient reservoir stimulation processes (e.g. drilling techniques, rock mechanical properties determination, well azimuth, perforating schema, and well interval selection) to optimise the stimulated reservoir volume (SRV).
In this extended abstract the authors take the first steps at defining the stimulation strategies required for these tight sandstones using data and results from two case study wells. The authors outline the well observations and report key lessons in a cooperative spirit to solicit industry feedback and further technologies that can aid development of fit-for-purpose technologies to facilitate extraction of these largely untapped resources across the undeveloped troughs and flanks of the Cooper Basin.
Raymond (Ray) L. Johnson, Jr. is presently Principal at Unconventional Reservoir Solutions, and serves as Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Adelaide and Senior Lecturer at the University of Queensland. He has a PhD in mining engineering, a MSc in petroleum engineering, a Graduate Diploma in Information Technology, and a BA in chemistry. Ray has been active in the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), past chair of the SPE Queensland Section, 2013 and 2015 co-Chair of the SPE Unconventional Reservoir Conference and Exhibition Asia Pacific, and has been involved as a technical committee member for numerous SPE technical conferences focusing on: reservoir geomechanics; hydraulic fracture design execution and evaluation; and, unconventional resource development. |
Lan Nguyen is the co-founder and Chairman of Real Energy Corporation Ltd. He holds a Bachelor of Science (mining engineer-geologist) degree majoring in petroleum exploration from the Institute of Oil and Chemistry (Baku, Azerbaijan), and a Master of Science degree in petroleum geology from the University of New England (Australia). He is presently a member of the Petroleum Exploration Society of Australia (PESA), the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG), and the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE). Lan is credited with the discovery and development of many oil and gas fields in the Surat-Bowen basins through his innovative introduction of various exploration, drilling and completion technologies to Queensland and Australia. |
Terry Russell is a petroleum geologist providing technical and exploration management services on a consultant basis to Real Energy Corporation Limited. He holds a Bachelor of Science (Honours) degree majoring in geology from Victoria University of Wellington (New Zealand), and a PhD in geology from the University of New England. He is presently a member of Petroleum Exploration Society of Australia (PESA), and the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG). |
References
Johnson, R.L., Jr. and Greenstreet, C.W., 2003—Managing Uncertainty Related to Hydraulic Fracturing Modeling in Complex Stress Environments with Pressure-Dependent Leakoff. SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, Denver, Colorado, 5–8 October, SPE-84492.Johnson, R.L. Jr., Abul Khair, H.F., Jeffrey, R.G., Meyer, J.J., Stark C. and Tauchnitz, J., 2015—Improving fracture initiation and potential impact on fracture coverage by implementing optimal well planning and drilling methods for typical stress conditions in the Cooper Basin, central Australia. The APPEA Conference Proceedings, 55, extended abstract.
Johnson, R.L., Hopkins, C.W., and Zuber, M.D. (2000). Technical challenges in the development of unconventional gas resources in Australia. The APPEA Journal 40, 450–68.
Pitkin, M.C., Wadham, T.H., Mcgowen, J.M. and Thom, W.W., 2012—Taking the First Steps: Stimulating the Nappamerri Trough Resource Play. SPE Asia Pacific Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition, Perth, Western Australia, 22–24 October, SPE-160307.
Scott, M.P., Stephens, T., Durant, R., Mcgowen, J., Thom, W. and Woodroof, R., 2013—Investigating Hydraulic Fracturing in Tight Gas Sand and Shale Gas Reservoirs in the Cooper Basin. SPE Unconventional Resources Conference and Exhibition-Asia Pacific, Brisbane, Queensland, 11–13 November, SPE-167073.
Voneiff, G.W., Hopkins, C.W. and Hill, D.G., 1997—Calculating Benefits of Advanced Stimulation Technologies. SPE Hydrocarbon Economics and Evaluation Symposium, Dallas, Texas, 16–18 March, SPE-37934.
